A businessman has claimed he never intended to transform an old hotel into a sex party club and his plans to run a fantasy venue for adults had been misinterpreted.

Robin Rostron, 59, has now dropped plans to hold swingers nights at the Stanley hotel, due to open next week as The Love Shack.

The opening has been delayed but the hotel will now be called The Local Spa and offer a high class hotel with themed rooms and spa facilities.

More than 600 residents living close to the venue signed a petition opposing the club, giving it to Derwentside Council. But Mr Rostron said he and business partner, Mrs Vivienne Archer, 58, were disappointed by the negative publicity.

He said it was never intended to be a swingers club, but rather a hotel which offered couples the chance to act out their fantasies privately in specially designed rooms. Swingers nights had only been one part of the business plan, now dropped.

They also admitted that with hindsight they might have chosen to market the venture differently on a website.

Mr Rostron said: "We have been misrepresented, there is no way I would swing and neither would my wife. I am no pornographer in chief or sex maniac.

"It is a venue for couples to fulfil their fantasies, it is not just swingers. People have fantasies that they act out. We are providing a safe, discreet and warm environment where people can do that.

"If that is against the law they will need to shut a lot of hotels down.

"It is a business opportunity. There are 37 of these clubs between Rochdale and Birmingham and only two on the eastern side of the UK." The website promoting the venture as The Love Shack was shut on Thursday.